EXCLUSIVE: Blaze ruins Angus family's home after hoverboard catches fire
Caroline Slater's nephew's device was charging in her living room before the family returned to find their home engulfed in flames.
Last updated 10th Jul 2019
A Carnoustie mum is exclusively telling Tay News how a fire ripped through her house after her nephew's hoverboard went up in flames.
Caroline Slater returned to her home last Thursday to see black smoke billowing out of the home after the device was left charging in the living room.
The blaze tore through her home, smashing windows, burning through carpets and destroying valuables.
Caroline said: "My son had nipped to the shops, and as soon as he came back from the shop, the whole place was ablaze.
"He was only out for 10 minutes, and I reckon the hoverboard was on charge for maybe 2 or 3 hours.
"The firemen said if the dog had gone up the stairs, there is no way he would have been able to get back out.
"If my son was upstairs, in his bedroom, unless he jumped out the window, he probably would not have survived it.
"It feels so daft that it was just the charger being on that caused it all, but it is the simplest of things that anyone could have done, and now we've lost everything."
Other people living near Caroline have now thrown out their devices, too.
Audrey Czarkowska is one of them.
She said: "They thought they were safe and everything.
"When I found out what happened, the first thing I did was get it out of the house and take it back to the shop.
"I didn't think something like that could happen - it really scared me.
"I will never have one in my house again, or have my child near one again.
"It's just lucky that they were all out of the house at the time."
Caroline's friends and family have since rallied round, helping to remove the damage that's been left behind and helping her financially.
Neighbour Vikki Shields has started an online crowdfunding page, which has already raised more than £1,000 for the family to rebuild their home.
She said: "I have started to unplug all of my chargers and everything now.
"It's been a wake-up call, definitely.
"My kids certainly won't be having a hoverboard now."
Caroline added: "My neighbours and family, I don't know where I would be without them to be honest.
"If it wasn't for all of them, I think I would probably be away from my home somewhere."
The device, a Zinc Smart RX Pro, was purchased from Argos.
The retailer said: "All of the products we sell have to meet high safety standards and as a precaution we have taken the Zinc hoverboard off sale while we investigate with the manufacturer."
The board's manufacturer, Zinc, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.